JP7360965B2 - cup holder - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cup holder, and particularly to a cup holder equipped with an illumination mechanism that illuminates a storage space of the holder portion.

2. Description of the Related Art A cup holder is known in which a holder portion is formed with a wall surrounding the beverage container such as a plastic bottle so that the beverage container such as a plastic bottle does not fall over inside a moving body such as an automobile. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cup holder that includes a plate-shaped light guide on the bottom surface in order to illuminate the accommodation space of the holder portion.

The cup holder described in Patent Document 1 makes light emitted from a directional LED (light emitting diode) enter a light guide lens shaped to follow the contour of the bottom surface, and is reflected vertically upward by a reflective surface on the outer periphery. The light is emitted upward, making a part of the outer periphery shine in a U-shape.

Patent No. 6624991

However, a cup holder having both a circular arc portion and a non-circular portion as the bottom surface shape of the holder portion disclosed in the above-mentioned publication has the following problem.
When trying to emit light from the entire outer periphery along the outline of a plate-shaped light guide, light from the LED enters from the center of the bottom and travels inside the light guide. Since the grooves serving as reflection means are formed along the outer periphery, light does not reach a part of the outer periphery. Therefore, the entire circumference of the contour does not emit light, but only a portion of the contour has a non-light emitting portion (U-shaped light emission).

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a cup holder with a light guide plate type illumination mechanism that emits light from the entire inner peripheral side of the holder portion. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cup holder with excellent uniformity of light emission around the entire circumference even when the light guide plate has a non-circular shape.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides the following cup holders [1] to [6].

[1] A cup holder including a concave holder portion,
The holder portion has a concave shape including an opening for inserting and removing the stored object, a bottom plate having a bottom surface that supports the stored object, and a side wall,
The bottom plate includes a light guide made of a plate-shaped light-transmitting resin material along the bottom surface, and a first main body located on the opening side of the light guide among the pair of plate surfaces of the light guide. It has a shielding sheet that covers a part of the surface and a light guide support part that supports the light guide,
The light guide includes a light input hole that receives light from a light source, and an output part that outputs the light that has entered the light guide from the light input hole to the outside of the light guide. An inclined reflection surface that internally reflects the light that has entered the light guide body from the light input hole toward the output part, and a shielding sheet attachment part to which the shielding sheet is attached are formed,
The light entry hole is a hole recessed from a second main surface opposite to the first main surface, and is located in a central region of the holder,
The emission part is formed along the outer peripheral edge of the light guide, and protrudes toward the opening side at the outer peripheral edge of the first main surface,
The inclined reflective surface is an inclined surface formed along the outer peripheral edge of the light guide and slopes upward from the light input hole toward the outer peripheral end surface,
The bottom plate has a planar shape when viewed from the opening side, and has a circular arc portion, a non-circular portion, and a corner portion on the outer peripheral edge,
The second main surface is provided with a refraction means for controlling the angle of incidence with respect to the inclined reflection surface between the light input hole and the corner,
The inclined reflective surface includes a first region where light entering the light guide body from the light input hole reaches the inclined reflective surface from the light input hole via the refracting means; comprising a second region that reaches the inclined reflective surface from the light input hole without using any means;
The second region includes a reflection reducing means that reduces the amount of reflection compared to the first region, and a curved surface in which at least a portion of the inclined reflective surface is concave toward the light input hole. ,
A cup holder characterized by:

[2] The refracting means is a side surface of a recess provided in the second main surface, and has an exit surface within the recess through which light that has entered the light guide from the light input hole exits into the recess. , and an in-dent entrance surface through which light emitted from the refracting/emitting surface into the depression enters the light guide.

[3] The cup holder according to [1] or [2], wherein the reflection reducing means has a light absorbing part or a dead part on a part of the inclined reflection surface.

[4] The cup holder according to [3], wherein the reflection reducing means is located in a boundary region between a side surface of the outer peripheral edge of the light guide and the inclined reflective surface.

[5] The second region includes a curved surface in which at least a part of the inclined reflective surface is concave toward the light input hole side. Any cup holder listed.

[6] The reflection reducing means has a waste portion in a partial area of the inclined reflection surface,
Any one of [3] to [5] above, characterized in that a curved surface having a concave shape is provided on the light input hole side in a region where the dead portion is not formed on the inclined reflective surface. Cup holder as described.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cup holder with a light guide plate type illumination mechanism that emits light from the entire inner circumference side contour of the holder portion. The amount of light emitted from the outline of the bottom of the cup holder is controlled by the reflection reducing means and the curved surface according to the shape of the outer periphery from the light incidence part of the light source to the outer periphery of the light guide. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a cup holder that emits light at the outer circumferential edge, in which the amount of emitted light is made uniform over the entire outer circumferential edge, and uneven light emission is suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cup holder viewed diagonally from above. (First embodiment) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cup holder of FIG. 1, viewed diagonally from below. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cup holder according to the first embodiment viewed from above. FIG. 4 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 3, with a portion cut away. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the light guide viewed from the bottom side of the holder section. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the light source viewed from diagonally above. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the light source. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged section B in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged part of the cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3. FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of portions D and E in FIG. 9. FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of the bottom surface of the cup holder of the second embodiment viewed from the opening side. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer peripheral end in the second region of the light guide of the cup holder of the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer peripheral end in the second region of the light guide of the cup holder of the fourth embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

[First embodiment]
A cup holder 1 according to a first embodiment will be explained using FIGS. 1 to 10.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cup holder 1 according to a first embodiment viewed from diagonally above, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same cup holder 1 viewed diagonally from below. 3 is a plan view of the cup holder 1 according to the first embodiment viewed from above on the opening 21 side, and FIG. 4 omits a part of the right side of the cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the light guide 10 provided in the cup holder 1 according to the first embodiment, viewed from the bottom side of the holder part 2.

The cup holder 1 of this embodiment is of a type that is attached to an air conditioner outlet of an automobile. The cup holder 1 includes a main body 4 having a concave holder portion 2 for accommodating a beverage container 6 such as a plastic bottle or a coffee cup, and a vehicle mounting portion 3 for attachment to an air conditioner outlet of a vehicle (not shown).

The holder part 2 forms a concave storage space with an opening 21 through which the beverage container 6 is inserted and removed, and a bottom surface 22 and side walls 23 that hold the beverage container 6. The side wall 23 is formed in a shape that is slightly expanded toward the opening 21 side. The bottom surface 22 constitutes the concave bottom of the holder section 2, and includes a light emitting section 14 that emits light toward the inside of the holder section 2 on a contour forming a boundary with the side wall 23. The emission part 14 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the light guide 10 provided at the bottom of the holder part 2, and irradiates the light from the light source 5 introduced into the light guide 10 into the holder part 2. .

The main body 4 is made of a light-shielding resin material, and includes a side wall 23 and a light guide support portion 24 extending from the side wall 23 toward the central region of the bottom surface 22. The light guide support section 24 supports the light guide 10. On the outside of the side wall 23, the vehicle mounting portion 3 is formed integrally with the side wall 23. In this embodiment, the hook is L-shaped, but other shapes may be used.

A separately formed light guide 10 is provided on the bottom surface 22 of the holder part 2. By fitting the light guide 10 through the opening 21 of the main body 4, the light guide 10 can be fixed to the light guide support portion 24. Thereby, the light guide 10 and the light guide supporting portion 24 constitute a bottom plate 26 . Although the light guide 10 and the light guide support part 24 are formed separately, they may be formed integrally, for example, by injection molding such as two-color molding.

The overall shape of the bottom surface 22 of the holder section 2 is a shape suitable for accommodating the cylindrical beverage container 6, and has a non-circular shape along the inner circumference of the holder section 2. Specifically, in plan view, one of the long sides of the rectangle is a linear outer periphery 26B, and the other long side is a U-shaped outer periphery 26A having an arc. The U-shaped outer peripheral edge 26A includes a semicircular arc portion 7 and two linear portions 8 extending straight from both ends of the arc portion 7 in parallel to each other. The linear outer peripheral edge 26B consists of a linear portion 8'. The linear portion 8' of the linear outer peripheral edge 26B is orthogonal to each of the two linear portions 8 of the U-shaped outer peripheral edge 26A at both ends thereof. As a result, a corner portion 9 is formed in the region where the linear outer peripheral edge 26B and the U-shaped outer peripheral edge 26A intersect.

The light guide 10 has a plate shape whose in-plane direction is along the bottom surface of the concave holder portion 2, and is made of a translucent resin material such as acrylic or polycarbonate. A pair of plate surfaces consisting of a first main surface 11 that is a surface perpendicular to the thickness direction and a second main surface 12 located on the opposite side of the first main surface 11, and an outer peripheral end surface that is a surrounding side surface. 16, and is formed into a plate shape as a whole. The outer peripheral end surface 16 has a semicircular arc portion 7a corresponding to the U-shaped outer peripheral edge 26A, and two linear portions 8a and 8b extending linearly and parallel to each other from both ends of the arc portion 7a. It also has a straight portion 8c corresponding to the straight outer peripheral edge 26B. The first main surface 11 is arranged on the opening 21 side, and a light shielding sheet 25 is provided on the first main surface 11 .

The first main surface 11 is a surface located on the opening 21 side of the holder section 2, and has a light-shielding sheet attaching section 15 and a light-emitting section 14 formed at the edge so as to surround the outer periphery of the light-shielding sheet attaching section 15. The height of the uppermost surface of the light emitting section 14, that is, the tip end surface on the opening 21 side, from the light-shielding sheet attachment section 15 is greater than the thickness of the light-shielding sheet 25. Therefore, the edge of the light guide 10 (the output section 14) is not covered with the light shielding sheet 25 and is exposed inside the holder section 2.

The light-shielding sheet 25 is a light-shielding member made of a film-like elastic material, and is fixed to the light-shielding sheet mounting portion 15 using adhesive or double-sided tape. The light shielding sheet 25 is attached at least to the central region of the holder part 2 where the beverage container 6 is placed. When accommodating a plurality of beverage containers 6, they are provided in central areas corresponding to the respective beverage containers 6. By providing it in the central region, it prevents the light entrance hole 13 described later from being directly viewed from the top surface side, and also prevents the first main surface 11 of the light guide 10 from being scratched by the beverage container 6. can be prevented. In this embodiment, it is formed to have a similar shape to the bottom surface 22 so as to cover almost the entire surface of the bottom surface 22 except for the contour portion.

The second main surface 12 is a surface located on the opposite side of the opening 21 of the holder portion 2 . As shown in FIG. 5, a light entrance hole 13 is formed in the central region, and at the outer periphery, light L1 and L2 that has entered the light guide 10 from the light entrance hole 13 is directed toward the output part 14. An inclined reflection surface 17 for internal reflection is formed. Further, two depressions 30 are formed at positions near the corner 9 on each virtual straight line connecting the two corners 9 and the light entrance hole 13. The depression 30 corresponds to a refracting means.

The light entrance hole 13 is a cylindrical hole that is concave from the second main surface 12 toward the first main surface 11, and the light source 5 is inserted and fixed therein. The light entrance hole 13 may penetrate from the second main surface 12 to the first main surface 11. The inner peripheral surface, which is a cylindrical surface, of the light entrance hole 13 is formed parallel to the thickness direction of the light guide 10 or slightly expanded toward the second main surface 12 side. This inner circumferential surface becomes the incident surface of light from the light source 5.

The inclined reflective surface 17 is an inclined surface that is formed along the outer peripheral edge of the light guide 10 and connects the outer peripheral end surface 16 (side surface) of the light guide 10 and the second main surface 12 . The inclined reflective surface 17 forms an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the second main surface 12. Thereby, the incident light that enters into the light guide 10 from the inner circumferential surface of the light entrance hole 13 and is substantially parallel to the second main surface 12 is reflected toward the output part 14 by internal reflection. The external atmosphere of the inclined reflective surface 17 is an atmospheric environment so that a difference in refractive index with the light guide 10 occurs. For this purpose, a gap is provided between the side wall 23 and the inclined reflective surface 17.

The light from the light source 5 enters the light guide 10 from the inner peripheral surface of the light entrance hole 13, spreads radially around the light entrance hole 13, and travels. From the viewpoint of uniformity of the entire output section 14, it is preferable that the incident light traveling radially reach the inclined reflective surface 17 formed on the outer periphery so that it is perpendicular or approaches perpendicular to the contour line of the outer periphery. is preferable.

As shown in FIG. 5, the depression 30 has a shape that approximates a triangle in plan view, and the contour shape of the outer periphery is a curved line. When the depression 30 is not formed, at the corner 9, the light that enters from the light entrance hole 13 and goes toward the inclined reflective surface 17 is flat with respect to the straight parts 8a and 8b of the U-shaped outer peripheral edge 26A. It is incident obliquely. Similarly, the light is also obliquely incident on the straight portion 8c of the straight outer peripheral edge 26B in plan view. The light incident obliquely in a plan view is reflected by the inclined reflection surface 17 in an oblique direction in a plan view. The inclined reflective surface 17 is inclined in the vertical direction. Therefore, light incident on the inclined reflective surface 17 from an oblique direction in plan view is reflected obliquely upward. Therefore, the light emitted from the emission part 14 of the corner part 9 is mainly light that travels in an oblique direction. Moreover, when compared with the light emitted from the outer peripheral edge other than the corner part 9, for example, the circular arc part 7a of the U-shaped outer peripheral edge 26A, the light emitted from the emitting part 14 of the corner part 9 has uneven brightness. The entire area centered around the corner 9 becomes dark.

Therefore, by providing the depressions 30, the angle of incidence of light on the inclined reflective surface 17 in plan view is controlled. The recess 30 is a groove for controlling the incident light from the light source 5 to reach the contour line of the outer periphery of the light guide 10 at right angles to or close to orthogonal to the outer peripheral edge of the light guide body 10 . The atmospheric environment is such that there is a refractive index difference between the two. The side surface, which is the inner peripheral surface of the recess 30, is formed into a curved shape, and by controlling the curvature, the traveling direction is controlled using the phenomenon of refraction of light.

The incident light that reaches the depression 30 from the light entrance hole 13 is emitted into the depression 30 from a part of the side surface of the depression 30, and the light enters the light guide 10 again from another part of the side surface of the depression 30. incident. The side surface from which light exits into the recess 30 is referred to as an in-recess exit surface 31, and the side surface through which the light emitted into the recess 30 enters the light guide 10 again is referred to as an in-recess entrance surface 32. Since a refraction effect occurs on each of the recessed exit surface 31 and the recessed entrance surface 32, the traveling direction of the light reaching the inclined reflective surface 17 can be controlled by appropriately optimizing the size and shape of the recessed portion 30. I can do it.

In this specification, the first region 18 refers to an outer region where light that reaches the inclined reflective surface 17 via a refracting means such as a recess 30 is controlled to be orthogonal to or close to orthogonal to the contour line of the outer periphery. This refers to the peripheral area. The refracting means is not limited to the depression 30, but may be filled with another transparent resin material having a different refractive index, for example. Further, in this specification, the second region 19 is a region other than the first region in the outer peripheral region, and the light reaching the inclined reflective surface 17 from the light entrance hole 13 is This refers to the area where the light is incident at a perpendicular or nearly perpendicular angle to the line.

Specifically, the second region 19 includes a circular arc portion 7a corresponding to the U-shaped outer peripheral edge 26A, a region near the circular arc portion 7a in the straight portions 8a and 8b, and a center of the straight portion 8c corresponding to the straight outer peripheral edge 26B. This applies to partial neighborhood areas. The second region 19 is located closer to the light entrance hole 13 than the first region 18 . The first region 18 is a region corresponding to the corner 9. Note that the position of the boundary between the first region 18 and the second region is not absolute.

In this embodiment, the shape of the bottom surface of the holder part 2 is the light guide plate 10 in a shape corresponding to the outer periphery consisting of the U-shaped outer periphery 26A and the linear outer periphery 26B, but the shape is not limited to this. do not have. The arc portion 7 includes an arc of a circle having a predetermined radius centered on the light entrance hole 13 and a curved line such as an ellipse that can be approximated to the arc. Further, the linear side portion of a polygon (hexagon or more) that can be approximated to a circle is also included in the circular arc portion 7 considering the size of a normal beverage container. The straight portions 8, 8' are not limited to straight lines, and include non-circular portions that do not correspond to the circular arc portions 7 and can be approximated to straight lines.

In this embodiment, the corner portion 9 is an intersection area between the straight portion 8a and the straight portion 8c of the light guide 10, and an intersection area between the straight portion 8b and the straight portion 8c, but is not limited thereto. In the outer circumferential edge, the connecting portion between the circular arc portion and the non-circular portion, or the connecting portion between the non-circular portions becomes a corner portion. The light guide plate 10 has at least a circular arc portion and a non-circular portion on the outer peripheral edge in a plan view, and further has a corner portion.

Next, the light source 5 will be explained. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the light source, and FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the light source.

The light source 5 consists of a lens section 41 provided with a protrusion 42 having a substantially cylindrical side surface with a size and shape corresponding to the light entrance hole 13 of the light guide 10, and a light source main body section 40. A substrate 44 on which an LED 43 is mounted is fixed within the portion 40 . The LED 43 is of a surface-mounted type with the emission direction directed upward, and is mounted on the substrate 44 so that the light is emitted perpendicularly upward. The board 44 is a printed circuit board or the like, and in addition to the LED 43, electrical components 45 such as a resistor are also mounted thereon. The lens portion 41 is made of a translucent resin material such as acrylic or polycarbonate, and is fixed to the main body portion 42 by a snap fit 46 so as to cover the LED 43 . The lens portion 41 is attached to the main body portion 40 such that the protrusion 42 is located directly above the LED 43.

A battery (not shown) is housed in the main body 40 of the light source 5 as a power source for supplying the LED 43. A power cord for connecting to an external power source such as a vehicle may be connected instead of the battery. The light source 5 is removably fixed to the second main surface 12 of the light guide 10 or the light guide support 24 . The light source 5 is a separate component from the cup holder 1 so that it can emit light of any color. A plurality of types of light sources 5 whose LEDs 43 emit light of different colors and brightnesses are prepared so that the light can be easily replaced to emit light of any color or brightness. By replacing the light source 5, it is possible to easily obtain a desired luminescent color such as blue, green, or red.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged portion B in FIG. 4, and is a cross-sectional view for explaining the second region 19. As shown in FIG. The light emitted upward from the LED 43 is totally reflected by a conical reflecting surface 45 formed of a slope of a substantially conical recess provided in the protrusion 42, and is directed toward the side surface of the protrusion 42. The light emitted from the side surface of the protrusion 42 enters the light guide 10 from the inner peripheral surface of the light entrance hole 13 and propagates within the light guide 10 in the in-plane direction. Among the light propagated in the in-plane direction within the light guide 10, the light L2 directed toward the second region 19 reaches the inclined reflective surface 17 and is reflected toward the emission section 14, and is transmitted from the emission section 14 to the holder section 2. Light L2 is emitted inward. As shown in FIG. 7, the inclined reflective surface 17 is an inclined surface having an upward slope from the light entrance hole 13 toward the outer peripheral end surface 16 in cross section.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged part of the cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 3, and is a cross-sectional view for explaining the first region 18. The light emitted upward from the LED 43 is totally reflected by a conical reflecting surface 45 formed of a slope of a substantially conical recess provided in the protrusion 4, and is directed toward the side surface of the protrusion 42. The light emitted from the side surface of the protrusion 42 enters the light guide 10 from the inner peripheral surface of the light entrance hole 13 and propagates within the light guide 10 in the in-plane direction. Among the light propagated in the in-plane direction within the light guide 10, the light L1 directed toward the first region 18 reaches the inclined reflective surface 17, is reflected toward the emission section 14, and is transmitted from the emission section 14 to the holder section. Light L1 is emitted toward the inside of the light source 2.

At this time, the light L1 enters the light guide 10 from the inner peripheral surface of the light entrance hole 13 and passes through the depression 30 on the way to the inclined reflective surface 17 of the first region 18. Specifically, the light enters the light guide 10 from the inner circumferential surface of the light entrance hole 13 and then exits into the recess 30 from the in-recess output surface 31 of the recess 30 . Thereafter, the light emitted into the recess 30 enters the light guide 10 again from the recess entrance surface 32 located on the substantially opposite side. The light L1 re-entering from the indentation entrance surface 32 reaches the inclined reflection surface 17, is reflected toward the emission section 14, and is emitted from the emission section 14 toward the inside of the holder section 2.

Comparing the light L1 reflected by the inclined reflective surface 17 of the first region 18 and directed toward the output section 14 and the light L2 reflected by the inclined reflective surface 17 of the second region 19 and directed toward the output section 14, the first region The light L2 emitted from the recess 18 suffers a loss in the amount of light at two interfaces: the in-dent exit surface 31 and the in-dent entrance surface 32. For these reasons, the light emitted to the outside from the emitting section 14 in the first region 18 is darker than the light emitted to the outside from the emitting section 14 in the second region 19. In particular, in the corner portion 9, the optical path length from the light entrance hole 13 to the inclined reflective surface 17 of the first region 18 is such that the optical path length from the light entrance hole 13 to the inclined reflective surface 17 of the second region 19 is Since the optical path length is longer than that before, it tends to become even darker.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to improve the uniformity of the entire outer periphery, the inclined reflective surface 17 of the second region 19 is provided with a reflection reducing means that reduces the amount of reflection compared to the reflective surface of the first region. It has been subjected. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the light guide 10 of the inclined reflective surface 17 of the second region 19. As shown in FIG. 10 corresponds to portions D and E in FIG. 9. In FIG. 10, the straight line indicated by a broken line is a reflective surface formed at the same angle as the inclined reflective surface 17 formed in the second region 19. The light guide 10 in the first region is provided with a waste portion 17a on a part of the inclined reflective surface 17 and a curved surface 17b.

The waste portion 17a is formed by extending the outer peripheral end surface 16 toward the second main surface 12 side, that is, toward the lower side with respect to the reference line (broken line in FIG. 10) of the inclined reflective surface 17, and at an incident angle that does not cause internal reflection. By making the light incident on the inclined reflective surface 17, the amount of reflected light is reduced. The waste portion 17a prevents light incident parallel to the second principal surface 12 from exceeding a critical angle, and corresponds to a reflection reducing means in the present invention. The reflection reducing means may be one in which a light absorbing part such as a black coating film is provided on a part of the inclined reflective surface 17 instead of forming the useless part 17a. It is preferable to provide it in the boundary region between the outer peripheral end face 16, which is a side surface of the outer peripheral edge of the light guide 10, and the inclined reflective surface 17. Since the inclined reflection surface 17 is an inclined surface having an upward slope toward the outer circumferential end surface 16, the final light emitting surface of the emitting section 14 is reduced by reducing the light reflected toward the emission section 14 at the position closest to the outer circumference end surface 16 Changes in size, that is, changes in the light emitting area of the emission section 14, can be made less noticeable.

The curved surface 17b is a curved surface that is recessed toward the first main surface 11 with respect to the reference line (broken line in FIG. 10) of the inclined reflective surface 17. As shown in FIG. 10, the cross section is recessed obliquely upward from the position on the outer peripheral end surface 16 side of the second main surface 12. As shown in FIG. By making the shape concave toward an arbitrary point on the vertical line passing through the light entrance hole 13, the light enters the light guide 10 from the light entrance hole 13 parallel to the second main surface 12. The light is not only reflected toward the emission part 14 but also diffused and reflected. Further, the curved surface 17b is formed as a concave curved surface toward the light entrance hole 13 side in a region of the inclined reflective surface 17 where the dead portion 17a is not formed. Specifically, the curved surface 17b is formed below the waste portion 17a and on the second main surface 12 side.

When only the waste portion 17a is provided on a part of the inclined reflective surface 17 without providing the curved surface 17b, the light directed toward the output portion 14 from the position where the waste portion 17a is provided is reduced. Therefore, when viewed from above, the width of the light emitting portion 14 on the outer periphery, which would normally emit light with a width W1 corresponding to the inclined reflective surface, becomes narrower by the width W2 corresponding to the waste portion, and [W1- W2]. That is, the width of the light emitting part 14 becomes narrower, and the uniformity of the emitting part 14 over the entire outer periphery is impaired. Therefore, by forming the curved surface 17b in a region other than the waste portion 17a, the light emitted from the emission section 14 becomes light L2 that is spread to the width W1 and is emitted. The sense of uniformity is not impaired. Further, the amount of light reaching the emission section 14 is reduced by the provision of the waste portion 17a. Thereby, it is also possible to equalize the output light L1 from the output section 14 of the first region 18 and the amount of light. In addition to providing a curved surface, other light diffusing means such as forming a light diffusing layer such as a silver coating on the inclined reflective surface may be used to make the emission width uniform.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a cup holder 50 according to a second embodiment will be explained. The cup holder 1 of the first embodiment has one holder part 2, but the second embodiment has two holder parts 51, which can independently hold two beverage containers such as plastic bottles. The two holder parts are connected. Since the side walls, openings, and vehicle attachment portions are the same as those in the first embodiment, their explanations will be omitted here, and the shape of the bottom surface will be explained. Further, since the same light source as in the first embodiment can be used, a description thereof will be omitted here.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the cup holder 50 of the second embodiment viewed from the opening side. A first holder portion 51A on the left side of the paper and a second holder portion 51B on the right side are connected by a connecting portion 52. The light guide plate also has a plate shape in which a region corresponding to the first holder portion 51A and a region corresponding to the second holder portion 51B are connected. Further, a light-emitting portion 53 of the light guide is formed along the outer periphery, and a light-shielding sheet 54 having a similar shape to the bottom surface is arranged inside the light-emitting portion 53 . The light guide is formed of a transparent resin material so as to have a plate shape as a whole, and the edge of the light guide (output part 53) is not covered with the light shielding sheet 54, and the holder part 51 (51A, 51B) The point that the inside is exposed is the same as in the first embodiment.

The emission part 53 is formed to protrude from the light shielding sheet attachment part toward the opening side, similarly to the emission part 14 of the first embodiment. An inclined reflective surface (not shown) is provided on the surface of the light guide opposite to the light emitting section 54 . The first holder part 51A and the second holder part 51B each have a substantially circular shape, and light entrance holes 55A and 55B into which a light source is inserted are formed in the center regions of each. Further, two depressions 56A, 56A are formed in the area near the connection part 52 of the first holder part 51A, and two depressions 56B, 56B are formed in the area near the connection part 52 of the second holder part 51B. There is. Two depressions 56C and 56C are formed in the connecting portion 52 at positions between depressions 56A and 56B. The light entrance holes 55A, 55B and the depressions 56A, 56B, 56C are formed on the surface opposite to the light-shielding sheet attachment part, that is, on the back side of the holder part 51, as in the first embodiment. It has a concave shape toward the surface on the mounting part side.

The recesses 56A, 56B, and 56C are for allowing light to reach the non-arc part 57 that connects the circular arc parts, which are the circular outer peripheral parts of the first holder part 51A and the second holder part 51B, in the outer peripheral shape of the light guide. Performs refractive and reflective effects. In the first embodiment, only the refraction means for controlling the incident angle of the light reaching the inclined reflection surface of the first region 18, which is the region of the corner portion 9 where the straight line portion of the output portion 14 intersects at right angles, is provided. In this embodiment, depressions 56A and 56B are provided as refracting means, and a depression 56C is provided as reflecting means.

The connecting portion 52 bridges the first holder portion 51A and the second holder portion 51B. The bridging connecting portion 52 requires a bent portion in order to connect the first holder portion 51A and the second holder portion 51B each having a circular outer peripheral shape. Since the connecting portion 52 has a cross-linked structure with a bent portion, it is difficult for light to reach the emitting portion 53a located in the area of the connecting portion 52. In addition, it is difficult to ensure a sufficient amount of light only by providing the same refracting means as in the first embodiment. Therefore, by providing the recess 56C as a reflecting means, the amount of light directed toward the output section 53a of the connecting section 52 can be increased. The inside of the depression 56C may be filled with air in order to create a difference in refractive index with the material of the light guide, and the shape may be a V-groove. A reflective material such as a white resin or an aluminum vapor-deposited film may be provided inside for reflection.

The depression 56C of this embodiment is a groove with air inside the depression. A part of the light that enters the light guide from the light entrance hole 55A of the first holder part 51A is totally reflected on the side surface of the recess 56C and reflected toward the output part 53a and the other recess 56A. Another part of the light that has entered the light guide through the light entrance hole 55A of the first holder part 51A is refracted into the recess 56C and exits from other parts of the side surface of the recess 56C. A part of the light enters the light guide again from any region on the side surface of the recess 56C, and a part of the light that enters the light guide again is guided toward the inside of the second holder part 51B. do. Therefore, the recess 56C has both a reflective action and a refractive action.

As shown in FIG. 11, the outer peripheral edge of the connecting portion 52 is a non-circular portion 57. The first region 58 is the outer peripheral region where the light reaching the inclined reflective surface via the depressions 56A, 56B, and 56C is controlled to be orthogonal to or nearly perpendicular to the contour line of the outer peripheral edge. A second region 59 is an arcuate portion that is a circular outer peripheral portion of the first holder portion 51A and the second holder portion 51B. In the second region, the light incident from the light entrance holes 55A, 55B reaches the inclined reflective surface without passing through the depressions 56A, 56B, 56C.

Further, the inclined reflective surface of the second region 59 has a waste portion formed therein as in the first embodiment, and a portion of the inclined reflective surface is a curved surface. By forming the waste portion, the amount of light reflected toward the output portion 53 by the inclined reflective surface can be reduced compared to the case where the waste portion is not formed. By forming the curved portion, the reflection direction can be expanded compared to the case where a planar inclined reflection surface without a curved surface is used, and light can be emitted from the entire surface of the emission section 53. As a result, the emission section can emit light with uniform width as a whole and suppress unevenness in brightness, and the illumination inside the holder section 51 of the cup holder can be made uniform.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a cup holder according to a third embodiment will be explained. FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the light guide 10 of the cup holder according to the third embodiment at a position corresponding to section D in FIG. 8 . Section D is a cross section near the outer peripheral end in the second region. The cup holder of the third embodiment differs from the cup holder 1 of the first embodiment in that a reflective member 16B is provided on the outer peripheral end surface 16 of the light guide 10. Since the other points are the same as those in the first embodiment, the explanation here will be omitted.

The reflective member 16B is provided with a coating film on the outer peripheral end surface 16, such as a reflective paint containing a reflective metal such as silver or aluminum having high reflectance, or a white paint containing a white ceramic such as barium oxide or titanium oxide. Instead of a paint film, a reflective tape or the like may be attached. By providing the reflective member 16B, it is possible to reduce a portion of the light guided within the light guide 10 leaking from the outer peripheral end surface 16. Further, when the liquid in the beverage container 6 spills from the beverage container 6 housed in the holder part 2, the liquid adheres to the outer peripheral end surface 16 of the light guide 10, and the amount of light emitted from the output part 14 changes. , it is possible to prevent the uniformity of light emission over the entire outer periphery from deteriorating. Further, the reflective member 16B can also be provided so as to cover the inclined reflective surface 17 as well.

[Fourth embodiment]
Next, a cup holder according to a fourth embodiment will be explained. FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the light guide 60 of the cup holder according to the fourth embodiment at a position corresponding to section D in FIG. Section D is a cross section near the outer peripheral end in the second region. The cup holder of the fourth embodiment differs from the cup holder 1 of the first embodiment in that a groove 65 is provided in the outer peripheral end surface 66. Description of points that are the same as those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

The light guide 60 has a light-shielding sheet attachment part 61 and a light emitting part 64 formed on a first main surface which is a plate surface on the opening side of the holder part. The output portion 64 is formed around the entire outer periphery of the light guide 60 . The light guide 60 is installed in the holder portion such that an outer peripheral end surface 66 (side surface) extending in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the light guide 60 contacts an inner periphery of the holder portion (not shown). An inclined end surface 67 is formed on the side closest to the outer peripheral end surface 66 of the second main surface 62, which is the plate surface on the opposite side to the first main surface. A groove 65 is formed on the second main surface 62 at a position corresponding to the emission part 64 or in the vicinity thereof, spaced apart from the inclined end surface 67 .

The groove 65 has a substantially trapezoidal cross section that expands toward the second main surface 62, and includes a side surface 65a on the center region side, a ceiling surface 65b, and a side surface 65c on the outer peripheral end surface side. A light source (not shown) is disposed on the right side of the paper in FIG. 13, and guides light inside the light guide 60 from the right side to the left side of the paper. A portion of the light that has traveled within the light guide 60 substantially parallel to the second main surface 62 is refracted at the side surface 65 a on the central region side and exits into the groove 65 . A part of the light emitted from the side surface 65a on the side of the central region into the groove 65 becomes light L3 that goes toward the ceiling surface 65b, and then re-enters the light guide 60 from the ceiling surface 65b and has a shape that goes toward the output part 64. It is formed. Further, the other part of the light emitted from the central area side side surface 65a into the groove 65 becomes light L4 that heads toward the outer peripheral end side side surface 65c, and the incident angle at which it re-enters into the light guide 60 from the outer peripheral end side side surface 65c. The outer peripheral end surface side surface 65c is formed so as to be. A part of the light that reenters the light guide 60 from the outer peripheral end surface side surface 65c is reflected by the inclined end surface 67 and then heads toward the output section 64.

The sloped end surface 67 has a steeper angle of upward slope toward the outer peripheral end surface 66 side than the sloped end surface 17 of the first embodiment, so that the light is totally reflected toward the emission part 64.
In the cup holder 1 of the first embodiment, by providing the waste portion 17a and the curved surface 17b on the inclined reflective surface 17 of the second region 19, the emitted light from the emitting portion 14 of the second region 19 and the first The amount of light emitted from the region 18 and the light emitted from the light emitting section 14 is made uniform. Further, the uniformity of the width of the emission section 14 when viewed from the opening 21 side of the holder section 2 is prevented from being impaired. In this embodiment, the lights L3 and L4 emitted from the output part 64 in the second region to the outside of the light guide 60 are made to enter the light guide 60 through the ceiling surface 65b due to the refraction effect of the groove 65. A composite light of two different optical paths of light L3 directed toward the emitting section 64 and light L4 reflected at the inclined end surface 67 and directed toward the emitting section 64 is emitted. The light L3 directed toward the output portion 64 due to refraction includes an interface for causing refraction compared to the case where total reflection is used, resulting in a loss in light amount. Therefore, in the present embodiment, for the light L4 that is reflected by the inclined end surface 67 and directed toward the output part 64, only a curved surface similar to that in Embodiment 1 is formed on a part of the inclined end surface 67, and a waste portion is formed. I haven't. Note that the curved surface of the inclined end surface 67 is not shown. By making a part of the inclined surface into a curved surface, a composite light of light L3 whose light amount is reduced by refraction and light L4 whose light amount reaches the output part 64 is reduced and diffused by the curved surface. is emitted from the emitting section 64 to the outside.

As a result, in the second region that is likely to become bright among the output portions 64 formed around the entire outer periphery of the light guide 60, the output light L3, Since the combined light amount of L4 is reduced, the difference in light amount between the emitted light amount in the first region and the emitted light amount in the second region is reduced, and uniformity can be improved.

Further, when the liquid in the beverage container 6 spills from the beverage container 6 housed in the holder part 2, the liquid adheres to the outer peripheral end surface 66 of the light guide 60 and the amount of light emitted from the output part 64 decreases. However, since the light is emitted from the light emitting portion 64 to the outside by the refraction effect of the groove 65, it is not affected by dirt on the outer peripheral end surface 66. In applications where spillage of beverages is likely to be a problem, by forming the grooves 65 not only in the second region but also in the first region, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the amount of emitted light due to dirt on the outer peripheral end surface 66.

Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, although the cup holder is of a type that is attached to an air conditioner outlet, it is also possible to fix the bottom of the holder to a panel or console box inside the vehicle. Further, in the above embodiment, the reflection reduction means and the curved surface are provided on the inclined reflection surface in the first region where the light from the light entrance hole reaches without going through the refraction means. In the second region where the light from the light entrance hole reaches, it is also possible to provide the light in a partial region that is relatively close to the light entrance hole and tends to be bright.

In a lighting device that uses a plate-shaped light guide to emit light from an emitting part on the outer periphery, the outer periphery where light is to be emitted includes arcuate parts and non-arc parts, and an even and uniform emitting part is required. It can also be applied to other uses.

1...Cup holder 2...Holder part 3...Vehicle attachment part 4...Body 5...Light source 6...Beverage container (cup)
7...Circular arc part 8,8'...Straight line part (non-circular part)
9...Corner 10...Light guide 11...First main surface 12...Second main surface 13...Light entrance hole 14...Output part 16...Outer peripheral end surface 17...Slanted reflective surface 17a...Waste part (decreased thickness) reflection means)
17b...Curved surface 18...First region 19...Second region 21...Aperture 22...Bottom surface 23...Side wall 24...Light guide support portion 25...Light shielding sheet 26...Bottom plate 30...Indentation (refraction means)
41... Lens section 43... LED
L1, L2, L3, L4...Light rays

Claims (6)

A cup holder including a concave holder portion,
The holder portion has a concave shape including an opening for inserting and removing the stored object, a bottom plate having a bottom surface that supports the stored object, and a side wall,
The bottom plate includes a light guide made of a plate-shaped light-transmitting resin material along the bottom surface, and a first main body located on the opening side of the light guide among the pair of plate surfaces of the light guide. It has a shielding sheet that covers a part of the surface and a light guide support part that supports the light guide,
The light guide includes a light input hole that receives light from a light source, and an output part that outputs the light that has entered the light guide from the light input hole to the outside of the light guide. An inclined reflection surface that internally reflects the light that has entered the light guide body from the light input hole toward the output part, and a shielding sheet attachment part to which the shielding sheet is attached are formed,
The light entry hole is a hole recessed from a second main surface opposite to the first main surface, and is located in a central region of the holder,
The emission part is formed along the outer peripheral edge of the light guide, and protrudes toward the opening side at the outer peripheral edge of the first main surface,
The inclined reflective surface is an inclined surface formed along the outer peripheral edge of the light guide and slopes upward from the light input hole toward the outer peripheral end surface,
The bottom plate has a planar shape when viewed from the opening side, and has a circular arc portion, a non-circular portion, and a corner portion on the outer peripheral edge,
The second main surface is provided with a refraction means for controlling the angle of incidence with respect to the inclined reflection surface between the light input hole and the corner,
The inclined reflective surface includes a first region where light entering the light guide body from the light input hole reaches the inclined reflective surface from the light input hole via the refracting means; comprising a second region that reaches the inclined reflective surface from the light input hole without using any means;
The second region includes a reflection reducing means that reduces the amount of reflection compared to the first region.
A cup holder characterized by: The refracting means is a side surface of a recess provided in the second main surface, and includes an in-recess exit surface through which light entering the light guide from the light input hole exits into the recess; The cup holder according to claim 1, further comprising a recess entrance surface through which light emitted from the inner output surface into the recess enters the light guide. 3. The cup holder according to claim 1, wherein the reflection reducing means has a light absorption part or a dead part on a part of the inclined reflection surface. 4. The cup holder according to claim 3, wherein the reflection reducing means is located in a boundary area between a side surface of the outer peripheral edge of the light guide and the inclined reflective surface. 5. The second region includes a curved surface in which at least a portion of the inclined reflective surface is concave toward the light input hole. cup holder. The reflection reducing means has a waste portion in a partial area of the inclined reflection surface,
Any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that a region of the inclined reflective surface in which the waste portion is not formed is provided with a curved surface having a concave shape on the side of the light input hole. Cup holder as described.